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The mattress toppers have quickly become a necessity of an optional thing in very quick time. There are different types available, but all didn’t get the same level of appreciation by the users. The potential buyers in the market have become quite clever. They evaluate a certain type on the basis of its pros and cons. In this evaluation, the memory foam type is usually taken as the best mattress topper in most of the rankings, particularly because of their impeccable benefits and lesser drawbacks to worry about. There is a group of people who have other choices just because of their special and specific mattress topper needs.

Why memory foam topper is the best:

In order to know about the perks of memory foam topper, you need to read out the many memory foam mattress topper reviews. The following list will give you an idea that why the memory foam toppers are the best among all the available topper types:

The memory foam topper is known to reduce pressure on the body. The waterbed prior to this one has got a lot of votes as the best option for relieving pressure points but, it isn’t an effective option for long term sleeping. But, memory foam by all means is the best option with no motion and no pressure on body while sleeping.

If you have a rock hard bed, then investing on a memory topper would help you with luxurious comfort with not much of a cost. It will reduce the turning and tossing issue which your extra firm bed was causing earlier.

The innovative material used in such toppers enables it to stay cool all through the night. The next generation memory foam toppers do allow good air flow and doesn’t trap anyone with any troublesome heat.

The toppers will adequately look after your mattress of any kind and in whatever condition it is. The topper compensates well for an old mattress which is in poor condition and sinking from the middle. The memory type topper will provide with the best solution to the users and will make their bedding system look as good as a new one.

You really don’t need to worry about the bed sheets to fit over a mattress topper. Any standard size bed sheet used for a standard bed frame with a mattress would easily fit over a bed system with a topper as well.

The memory foam mattresses are durable and they also increase the durability of the mattress you have underneath. So, it acts as a good cover to protect your much hefty investment made over a mattress. Further, it is the cheapest way to do it.

The memory type toppers are widely available and you can purchase them easily online.

Due to all these reasons we can say that these mattress topper would help you make your mattress even more luxurious, long lasting and comfortable accessory for you.

Golf rangefinder is now trend amongst both novice and expert players, which is a long ways from the days when it was initially presented. Then, its use was constrained to a couple of experts and novices. Be that as it may, as with all things in golf and in life, rangefinders in the long run turned into a crucial piece of a golfer’s arms stockpile to shoot the ball into the gap.

Also, discussing buy, how precisely do you pick the best golf rangefinder?

Consider the Budget

You need to consider your financial plan essentially on the grounds that a golf rangefinder is not as critical an accessory as, say, the golf shoes. Begin with rangefinders in the measure of $150 and after that climb the scale for better ones. Simply remember that only on the grounds that a rangefinder is the most extravagant on the racks does not so much imply that it is the best for your needs.

Consider the Features

While considering the buy expense of best golf rangefinder, you likewise need to consider the after-deals costs. These are expenses important to keep the rangefinder in helpful condition including the simple accessibility of maps about the golf courses in your general vicinity. Depending upon your requirement you have two choices, laser, or GPS rangefinders.

Let’s begin with the laser rangefinder that, clearly, utilize laser to ascertain distance from an object. Its most eminent benefits incorporate its compelling exactness to inside a yard, two at most, too its wide adaptability in meeting expectations at each golf course. You can utilize the unit out of the case – no PC hookups, no subscription expenses.

Then again, a laser rangefinder has its faults. You ought to have a consistent hand as the laser ought to be precisely gone for the target in spite of the fact that it stick effectively be overcome with practice.

Presently, preceding onward the GPS sort, you have the advantage of numerous highlights relying upon the model picked. Just to give some examples of these highlights:

Distance can be measured in for all intents and purposes all sides of the green – front, center, and back

Any target can be pinpointed and the distance ascertained paying little respect to physical obstructions along the way.

You can easily get the overview of the hole with the help of satellite images.

What degree have you gone to perfect your woodwork operations especially in wood sanding? Or should we first start with getting a deeper scope of what wood sanding really entails. Basically, its goal is to ensure mill marks (caused by woodwork machines), dents and gouges (caused when handling the wood) among other flaws are eliminated. Different tools can be opted for this purpose.

However, Belt Sanders is the most appropriate. They can save you time rooted on their fast nature and most importantly obtaining finely-tuned upshots. Based on top belt sander reviews, these tools have been acknowledged for powerful drives able to take care of even the toughest coarse. They have further been credited to be more potent than vibrating and orbital sanders; they can therefore facilitate amazing wood finish ups. Though not that necessary for homemade use, it won’t do you any harm having it in your household; they are more of use to carpenters. Dissimilar smoothness levels can be obtained by belt sanders. They range from #150, #180 to #220 grit. It all depends on the purpose of wood use. Therefore, its significant for users to understand these aspects among other rubrics. Let’s get started with sanding wood rules both for efficiency and your safety.

What will you do to ensure you have a more productive output?

Keep the sander’s surface clean
Cleanliness is a required facet in most fields. Wood sanding isn’t left out of this either. A dust free belt sander will ensure there is full contact between grit and wood thereby amplifying its performance. Its proficiency will be limited if this factor is violated. Additionally, a clean machine will be fast along with low clogging possibilities which will enhance its life.

Know the sanding limits
How enough is the smoothing. You should tell when to stop sanding the wood when a certain level is reached. The feature that will help you through this is identifying what wood type is available and its final use. Stop at 150 grit level if an open-grain wood is used and the finish targeted polish is thick. These are examples of varnish, polyurethane and lacquer. 180 grit limits is just perfect for closed-grain wood.

Identify the appropriate grit type
The grit type to use should be put into consideration as well. Let’s take for instance you are dealing with “Open-grain” woods which have coarse grain strokes and a rough texture, it would be inappropriate to opt for fine grits. In another case, “Closed-grain” woods such as cherry and maple have a smoother texture which has to be refined with higher grit sanders.

Safety standards are also critical to look at. What should you do to ensure you are safe?

Always wear safety glasses, face shield and dust masks
Belt sanders produce a lot of wood-dust when sanding wood. Chances are the dust might end in your eyes and nose since when operating a large amount of it will tend to fly towards you. They might in turn be absorbed into the breathing system which may fuel breathing complications. The eyes will also be exposed to the same treat; eye problems.

Be keen on clothing and jewelry
What clothe type do you always wear when you go for wood smoothing. Care should be taken on what one wears in that when they get in contact with the machine’s moving parts, no harm can occur. Avoid long sleeved or loose tops. In any case they can’t be avoided, roll up the sleeves. Refrain from jewelry also as they can be caught by the mentioned parts.

Footwear
The feet are always exposed to harm on most industrial accidents. They shouldn’t be neglected either. Who knows, the sander or the wood you are working on might fall right on your toes. I bet you won’t like the outcome. To be on a safe side, make sure you protect your feet with the correct woodwork boots.

Hands and Ears Protection
Firstly, avoid wearing gloves when using belt sanders. A lot of gloves don’t firmly fit into the hands. They might get in contact with the moving parts causing damages or worse injuries. What do ears need to be protected from? Well, this equipment produces high noise levels; long time exposure to it will induce hearing loss.

As seen above, there are various factors to focus at to ensure all is well when working on wood smoothing in your workshop. There are diverse belt sander reviews that can help you at evaluating these rules. If you are looking for the best, the above list is perfect for a start.

Leaks are one of the most annoying things to happen to kitchen faucets . Leaving the leak as it is can result in further annoying moments like plonking sounds in the middle of the night. In fact, leaks are a major waste of water. Here are the tools you will need to resolve kitchen faucet leakage:
• Faucet repair kit
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Hot/cold water diverter
• Slip-joint pliers
• Needle nose pliers
• Allen wrench
• Spanner

1. Handle Removal

• Turn off the main water supply unless you want it spraying everywhere in the kitchen; you can use the valves under the sink to close the supply.
• Turn the faucet on so any residual water comes out; do not forget to plug the sink drain so small components do not accidentally fall in.
• Next, take an Allen wrench to the setscrew on the best kitchen faucet guides for 2015 handle. Loosen it up and remove the handle.
• Make absolutely certain to line up all the faucet parts in the same order that you removed them. This saves time, confusion, and mistakes during re-assembly.

2. Bonnet, Ball & Cam – Removal

• You now have need for those slip-joint pliers. Remove the chrome (or other faucet finish) bonnet. Quick note: to keep the chrome safe from damage, apply masking tape around the pliers’ teeth. You will not leave marks on the kitchen faucet this way.
• Under the bonnet you will find the ball and cam assembly. Lift it out of its perch.\

3. Spring Removal

• You must not work any further with the spring still inside the faucet. Take it out for safety reasons. Use needlenose pliers to take this and the packing pieces out of the kitchen faucet.
• If there is any sediment or grime build-up in there, you can start cleaning it out.

4. Spout Work

Take hold of the faucet spout with both hands, move it back and forth until it is loose enough to remove from the main faucet body. This will require some effort. Take the spanner to the O-rings inside and start to extract them.
• You can use needle nose pliers to remove the diverter component.
• Clean up any sedimentation or grime collection in this region.

5. Component Re-Assembly

• First, take your new diverter and press it in place.
• Install the new O-rings starting with the topmost O-ring.
• Take a little bit of packing grease and coat the O-rings with them. Quick note: Capable of withstanding high water temperatures (hot or cold) packing grease safeguards components in kitchen faucets and will not dissolve in water that passes by them.

6. Spout Re-Attachment

This will again require some effort. Press the spout back into place using both hands. Quick note: At this time, if you want to change the look of your faucet and you have a new spout at hand, you can attach the new spout instead; as long as it fits the required dimensions, of course. The manufacturer of the original faucet will help share new styles on the market.
The spings and packing pieces will next have to return, as well as the bonnet. You can use the Allen wrench and spanner to help with this part.

7. Installation Conclusion

• The faucet ball goes back into its slot.
• The cam and cam-packing return to where they are needed.
• The chrome bonnet and handle are reattached.
• The water needs to be turned back on.
• Check for leaks. You most probably will not find any.

Sleeping is the most important thing to keep our health well. Many researchers indicate that the mattress is essential for having a good quality sleep, so you should know about what extensive benefits that you could get as you use it. Especially the best mattresses are considerably recommended as a perfect choice for lots of side sleepers because of the following health effects that bring to their sleep for a long time.The first benefit of the best mattress shows its ability to provide good spine support. As you know, side sleepers only use a small part of the body in contact with the mattress surface, so they need effective support from it. Apart from the regular mattresses, the highest qualified mattress is designed specifically with the aim of adjusting the sleep posture correctly for those people who enjoy sleeping on their side. It helps to align the spine, head, neck and back effectively and keep them straight in every situation. In general, the improved posture will give to a much better comfort during the sleeping. The good mattresses enable someone to side sleep without deforming their body.

Relieving the neck and back discomfort is also an additional benefit of the best mattress. Every sleeping position has its advantages and drawbacks. In common, side sleeping is believed to be one of the most popular positions for individuals – that is a fact. Thus, the side sleeping mattress is suggested as a fantastic option constantly. For a good pad, you do not have to worry about the risk of pains in your neck, back or shoulder because it produces less resistance on muscles and joints. With this particular mattress, you’ll be able to move side sleeping from right to left without any difficulty. Also, you will taste feeling with the entire body instead of the stiffness of your back and joints when you wake up in the mornings.

Finally, the best mattresses are concerned about a great number of users, side sleepers in the capability of releasing stress remarkably. In other way, it means to guarantee a refreshing sleeping all the time. Let’s imagine! Lying down on a special mattress and having constant sleep to feel relaxed, that is so great after a hard working. Moreover, the perfect mattress is improved to optimizes the blood flow of your body personally. Similarly, a large number of essential mineral nutrients are delivered quickly to the whole body during a long sleep. Besides you will get properly ventilation and control of temperature with this best topper. Air flow is controlled as well as the temperature is neutralized associated with the support of the open- cell structure. Consequently, it keeps pressure points away and brings you to a night of peaceful sleep expectedly.

Overall, I hope this article is helpful for you and gave you the significant health benefits of using the best mattress products. You should find the best mattress which suitable for your family if someone prefers sleeping on the side. Let’s purchase it that gives you the ideal comfort and support while you sleep.

You might have heard of food dehydrators and how they can help preserve food. I have been using these appliances for more than 10 years now and have tried a good number of them. I have used them for different produce and I can immediately tell you which models will serve people for years and which ones won’t work well for you.

Simply put, a raw food dehydrator is an appliance that people use to dry their own food. They are used to dry meat, vegetables, and fruit. They are relatively small so they won’t be so that much trouble when finding storage space. They work gently thus they rarely pose any form of hazard to the work area. However, do take note that it may take several hours to preserve food items. Some food items that tend to be juicier tend to require several days of drying.

How a Food Dryer Works

You may have seen someone use these devices to make food dehydrator recipes. Imagine nice and tasty beef jerky of your very own make. Makes you wonder just how these food dehydrators work. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to at least have some sort of an idea how each different part works. You may not understand exactly the physics involved but at least you can discern the general idea.

In lay man’s terms, a raw food dehydrator uses a heating element, pretty much like your run off the mill toaster oven. Other than that, this appliance also blows air at the heating element in either of two directions: horizontally or from the bottom up. Blowers in either of these directions have their own advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, having horizontal hot air flow in your food dehydrator prevents any form of flavor mixing ever occurring. However, you will be a bit limited regarding the size of the batch of food you can dry. On the other hand, bottom heating dehydrators would usually result in flavor mixing if you put in different types of produce. However, this type of dehydrator allows you to make larger batches of the same produce.

Benefits of Using a Food Dehydrator

If you’ve used these appliances as long as I have then you can immediately tell what benefits you can reap from using them. The foremost benefit is being able to extend the shelf life of food. You get to preserve food, even ones that are due to expire soon, and make them last longer eventually. Other than that, they also maintain the nutrition value that you can get from food. Food also becomes more flavorful. Having your own dehydrator allows you to save more since you don’t have to spend as much on dried food like you used to.

Food Dehydrator Buying Tips

Before you set out on a food dehydrator hunt, remember that there are a few things you want to keep in mind several factors that anyone should consider. You have to check where the fan is positioned, power usage, warranty period, dimensions, enclosure for the unit’s heat source, tray size, temperature regulation, and a lot of other important factors.

Now, naming the best unit or model isn’t spelled in absolute black and white. Some models work for some folks while others require a totally different brand and model. Since I have had some pretty extensive experience with these products, tell you what – I’ll review each food dehydrator I have tried and tell you both the good and the bad In each one of them and then you can make up your own mind.

When it comes to food preservation, you can practice different methods of preserving your food. Basically, there are six methods of preserving food: (1) canning, (2) freezing, (3) drying, (4) smoking, salting and curing, (5) fermenting, and (6) juicing.

Canning food

Canning is said to be the most popular method of preserving food. In canning, you just have to apply heat to the food that has been secured inside a jar. While all types of food have microorganisms, canning helps kill all these unwanted microorganisms that cause the food to spoil.

Proper canning allows you to prevent the food from decaying by heating it within a given time span until you have already destroyed the unwanted microorganisms. Aside from the heating process, you also keep the food inside a jar and seal it. Basically, doing so lets you remove the air from your jar and form a vacuum inside as your jar starts to cool and seals. The vacuum that has been formed protects your food against microorganisms that cause spoilage.

There are two methods of canning food (these are the only ones that the United States Department of Agriculture approved): pressure canning and water-bath canning.

Pressure canning

While pressure canning involves the use of a kettle for heating, the process is still different from water-bath canning. Unlike the other one which uses the kettle for the hot water, pressure canning uses the steam that comes from the kettle instead. Basically, you just have to place the jar inside the kettle until it reaches an inner temperature that is 240oF under a particular pressure, which is indicated in pounds and measured with dial gauge on the cover of the pressure-canner.

Water-bath canning

The water-bath canning method involves the use of boiling water for heating food, which is why it is also called hot water canning. In water-bath canning, you just “bathe” the can or the jar in the hot water and have it heated up to a temperature of 212oF for a given time period.

Make use of this method when you are processing food with high acid content. Some varieties of food that have high acid content include tomatoes (as well as food made from tomatoes), and pickles (as well as pickled food).

Freezing food

Another method of food preservation is freezing. As the term itself implies, you just have to freeze your food so that you can preserve its freshness. Freezing is said to be the perfect method to use if you want to preserve food that can’t stand heat and even the long process of canning.

First off, make sure that the food you are freezing is still fresh because in the first place, you just preserve its freshness. You do not make the food fresh, per se, so the food’s freshness is of primary importance. Moreover, you also have to freeze the food as soon as you possibly can, and keep the food at freezing temperatures so you can make sure that it is still fresh.

When freezing your food, you have to properly package it. Use the right freezer containers or paper since these are the ones suitable for freezing. Proper packaging helps in the prevention of any decline in the quality of your food, therefore giving you the assurance that the food you are freezing is still fresh. More so, keep in mind that when the food gets exposed to the dry air in your freezer, there is always the tendency that your food will be damaged and its quality will get worse. Freezer-damaged food will not exactly hurt you, though, but it will most likely taste bad and will be less appetizing. Therefore, you still have to ensure that you prevent your food from getting damaged in your freezer and that you are doing the right thing.

So before anything else, check if your food is properly packaged. Make sure that it is not exposed to air as much as possible. Wrap your food tightly. Moreover, you also have to avoid temperature changes. As much as possible, your freezer should be kept closed so that the temperature will remain constant. Lastly, do not stuff your freezer with too many items for this will only reduce the circulation of the air inside, which in turn will cause damage to your food.

Drying food

Drying food is said to be the very first method of food preservation. Basically, when drying your food, you just have to expose it to a specific temperature that is high enough so that all the moisture will be removed but still low enough so that your food will not be cooked.

When drying your food, make sure that the air circulates properly because this helps in getting your food evenly dried. You can use an electric dehydrator, which is said to be the most effective tool to use for dying food. However, if you do not have a dehydrator, you can also make use of other equipment that you have at home, such as a thermostat or a fan, or you can just leave it lying under the sun; that is the cheapest way of drying food. Using the sun’s heat may take a little longer as compared to using a machine though, but it is still worth the wait.

For you to be able to dry your food successfully, keep in mind the following:

Choose the product with the best quality. High-quality food—those that are ripe already—are said to be the best ingredients to use for drying since you can be sure when it comes to freshness. As what we have mentioned previously, preserving food just prolongs its freshness and does not necessarily make it fresh, so you have to choose the freshest ingredients.

Take all the blemishes away. Clean your food first before drying them. Get rid of the dirt, dust, or even the insects since these will only contaminate your food. Make sure also that you are using sanitized tools when cleaning your food since the residue from these tools may cause cross-contamination.

Prepare your food in even sizes. Since you are going to process the food all together, it is important that they are of uniform sizes. Cut them into similar sizes and thickness as well process them all at about the same time, so that they all will be evenly dried.

Carefully place your food on the trays. When arranging the food on the drying tray, make sure that they are all in a single layer (again, we are aiming for uniformity here). Make sure also that you leave enough space in between so that your each piece of food is not touching the other. You will quickly dry your food with a food dehydrator, if you don’t have, please read reviews on this website to find best food dehydrator.

Smoking, salting, and curing

The process of smoking, salting, and curing applies to meat preservation. But just like any other food preservation method, these three basically slows down the spoilage by preventing bacteria and other unwanted microorganisms from growing in the food.

Smoking

Smoking is the process of filling the meat with pleasant tasting smoke and allowing this smoke to move around the meat for a given period of time.

There are two types of smoking: hot and cold smoking. When we say hot smoking, we just basically cook the meat indirectly in heat and smoke for couple of hours while applying flavor to it. Once the meat has already been cooked, you can now eat it. Yes, the process is just like that of barbecuing meat. On the other hand, when we say cold smoking, we just improve the flavor of the meat while drying it. This method is what we use for food preservation.

Salting

As the term itself suggests, salting is the process of applying salt to a piece of meat. After the application of salt, you have to chill the meat for about two months and then smoke it afterwards to add and enhance flavor.

Country-style hams are a product of salting meat. The process of making country-style hams is just easy: You first have to trim the excess fat off the meat, and then apply a mixture of 1 pound salt and 1 pound sugar on the meat. Afterwards, wrap the meat tightly with a paper so that you can keep the salt layer of the meat in place and then let it dry in a cool place. Cure your ham for several days depending on how many pounds your ham weighs (usually 2 ½ days for every pound). Once you are done curing the ham, take the wrapped paper off and then hand it for 30-40 days in temperatures under 40o.

Curing

Just like salting, curing also involves the use of salt. However, aside from salt, it also makes use nitrites and other seasonings that should be applied to the meat. Essentially, you just soak the meat in a solution that contains salts and all the other ingredients, and doing so does not only preserves the meat but also makes it taste better. After the applying these ingredients and soaking the meat, you just have to let your meat sit for several hours until the moisture within has already been drawn out.

Fermenting food

As you probably know, not all bacteria are bad. In fact, there are the so-called “good bacteria” which are good for our body. In the process of fermentation, these good bacteria are being introduced into your food (in a good way). Fermenting the food is also the process of souring it instead of pickling it.

When fermenting food, you have to make sure that you are doing it safely. Ferment the food in the most sanitary way and use the freshest products so that you can make sure that you are introducing the good bacteria rather than the bad ones. It is important you cultivate the bacteria properly so that you can ensure safe fermentation. You can only do proper bacterial cultivation when you work in a clean area. Moreover, fermenting your food does not only make it last longer and taste better, it also makes your food even healthier. Most types of food that are fermented include beer, cheese, yogurt, mead, and other kinds of vegetables.

Juicing food

Basically, juicing is the process of breaking down your food and extracting the juice that it contains. The most common types of food that are being juiced are fruits and vegetables. In this process, you just have to liquefy all the parts of the fruit or vegetable so that you can get all the vitamins, minerals, as well as fiber that comes with it. You can extract the juice from the fruit or vegetables by either using the pressure of your hand or using automatic juicers. In this process, you can make use of different types of juicers such as blender juicers, centrifugal juicers, masticating juicers, and many more.

You can consume the juice either raw or cooked. Many experts say, however, that drinking the juice raw is better since it still contains all the natural nutrients from the fruit or vegetables in which it was extracted from. But you can also include the juice to some of your dishes to make them healthier and much tastier.

Here’s very first fact about food that you should always keep in mind: once you bring home your food, it is already making its way toward spoilage. Although you are not able to see the process of decay with your naked eye, as times passes your food will come to the point of spoilage.

Fresh food, most of the time, is prone to spoilage due to several reasons. Most food contains high levels of water, which is the reason for an increase in the growth of unwanted microorganisms. These microorganisms in turn cause the spoilage of the food. Moreover, there is also the tendency for an increase in the activity of food enzymes or reactions with the oxygen, which result to food spoilage as well.

However, this does not mean that we should just let food spoil like that. Of course, we do not want to waste anything truly important. That’s why it’s crucial that we are able to keep our food fresh even for how many days, which in turn is why we should practice the method of canning and preserving.

Essentially, when you preserve food, you prolong its shelf life and make it fresh for as long as possible. You stop the process of decay and you maintain the freshness of the food until you are already about to cook and eat it. Basically, as much as possible, you prevent the food from spoiling so that you will still be able to use or consume it later.

Benefits of canning and preserving food

Aside from keeping your food fresh for as long as possible, food canning and preservation offers a whole lot more perks, which will surely convince you to practice this method. Here are some of the benefits that canning and preserving can give you:

You will be able to keep food stores full of fresh and homegrown food. Since you have already preserved your food, you no longer have to worry whether they will spoil once you store them for a relatively longer period of time. Spoilage is already out of the equation; you can store your food even beyond its supposed shelf life.

You no longer have to pick only selected food to store in your pantry. As mentioned in Number 1, there is no reason for you to worry if your food is going to spoil fast. Sometimes, we have the tendency to leave food out of the grocery list just because it spoils easily. However, if you know how to preserve food, you will not have a problem regarding this. You can buy practically any food that you want without—again—stressing over the fact that it easily spoils.

You will be able to save money. First off, you will not have to throw your food eventually, just because it has spoiled already. Moreover, you will be able to buy in bulk rather than in retail, which in turn will help you save money. As the authors of Canning and Preserving for Dummies had said, “Abundant food generally means lower cost.”

Canning and preserving food can also be one way of relaxation. Many people do this as their hobby since it gives them the feeling of relaxation as well as accomplishment. From choosing the ingredients for food preservation up to the actual process itself, they get a sense of fulfillment. Who says canning and preserving food is boring and can’t be fun?

It can help you earn money. You may opt to sell the food that you have preserved and make a good profit out of it. The thing about food preservation is that the things that you will need are not that costly, yet you will still be able to earn enough.

You can ensure the freshness and even the cleanliness of your food. Doing your own food preservation will help you ensure what is going to be included in your food. If you do not want to consume food that has ingredients you are not sure of, then it is about time that you prepare the food yourself.

We live in a fast paced world. We want everything easy and quick especially in preparing delicious meals for our family. But sometimes, going slow can be quite advantageous.

Slow cooking is a cooking method that utilizes low heat for an extended period of time. The food prepared using this method will become oh-so-tender and more flavorful. In the past, slow cooking involves putting a pot in the stove over a low fire for several hours. Unfortunately, this leaves room for the homemaker to do anything else since the flame needs constant supervision. If not, the pot may over boil, dry out, and cause a fire if left on for too long even on low. Fortunately, this won’t be an issue anymore since the slow cooker has already been invented.

The Slow Cooker

The slow cooker, also known as a crockpot, is a special electric pot with a glass lid and inset ceramic bowl. It typically has two temperature settings such as low (180°F to 200°F) and high (280°F to 300°F). It uses indirect heat to cook food in a steady and moderated temperature that doesn’t result in food, or worse, house burning even when left on for most of the day.

You can turn it on it on the morning before you leave for work and come home to a warm and perfectly cooked dish. You may also turn it on before sleeping at night so you’ll get to enjoy a delicious meal as soon as you wake up.

There are many advantages to owning a slow cooker. Here are some of them:

Most slow cooker dish recipes don’t have a lot complicated steps involved. In fact, some recipes just require you to dump all the pre-measured and pre-cut ingredients in the pot, cover the lid, and voila! A tasty dish is made. Not much effort and zero hassle.

It doesn’t use gas and is very energy-efficient. Most slow cooker units even have a power-saving feature that automatically turns off after the desired number of hours.

It stretches the family budget since cheaper cuts of tough meat can be made tender and delicious. It also softens even the most fibrous vegetables.

It makes a great summer cooking equipment since it doesn’t heat up the whole house as an oven or stove.

It keeps the prepared food warm to allow family members to eat a warm meal even at different times if necessary.

Since it uses indirect, low heat, thick stews, bean chili, and other similar dishes won’t stick to the bottom of the pot compared to when it’s cooked using a stove. No stirring necessary.

Since it doesn’t need any tending or special attention, you can focus on creating other complicated dishes if ever you’ll be entertaining guests at your home. If you aren’t cooking anything else, you can just focus on cleaning the house, setting the table, and other chores.

Choosing the Right Slow Cooker

Slow cookers are very common in today’s market. The units are available in different designs and sizes. Some brands may be more expensive than others but this may be because of some features that the manufacturer added into the unit.

The best slow cooker that you can own is the one that suits your cooking needs and your budget. Because of the vast array of choices, you’ll surely find the slow cooker that meets your criteria.

Here are some things to consider when buying your own slow cooker:

How many slow cookers are you going to buy? If you’re going to splurge and buy two units, you can choose a large and a small unit. Small 1 quart slow cookers are perfect for keeping dips and fondues warm for hours during a party. Large 6 quart units are perfect for slow cooking large cuts of meats and producing large quantities of food for a big family. If you are buying only one unit, choose between a medium sized 4 quart slow cooker and a large 6 quart one.

Note: Most of the recipes in this wonderful ebook require a large slow cooker.

Slow cooker pots can either be round or oval. Oval shaped pots are able to accommodate larger pieces of meat while round pots are great for evenly cooking desserts and cakes.

Make sure that your slow cooker of choice comes with a programmable timer that lets you cook your food from 30 minutes up to 15 or 20 hours. Also, check if the slow cooker shifts to an automatic off or warm function once the allotted cooking time is over.

There are many slow cookers in the market today. However, some units are not what they claim to be. If the so-called slow cooker comes with a metal insert, not ceramic or earthenware, this means that it cooks with direct heat. These fake slow cookers don’t have the same assembly structure and parts as an authentic slow cooker then it won’t cook as similarly too.

Cooking with Slow Cookers

Slow cookers require electricity. In case a power interruption happens while you’re cooking, don’t fret. You can easily finish cooking the food using your gas oven or stove. Or you can rush your slow cooker over to a friend’s house to resume cooking.

Conventional cooking time is about quadruple on low and double on high when cooking with slow cookers.

Place the vegetables at the bottom of the slow cooker. You’ll be surprised to find out that they cook much longer than the meat.

Some slow cooker recipes require browning of meat in a pan before placing in the slow cooker. This step is essential since the meat flavors are locked in and makes the dish more visually appetizing.

When your dish is already in the slow cooker, never stir or remove the lid unless the directions call for it.